This is a very lively and interesting session. The sessions that are attended by youngsters, especially intellectual and scholarly youngsters, are always like this.
The statements made by the participants in this gathering, both by our dear students and honorable instructors, really gave me great pleasure, since they were quite meaningful and worthwhile remarks and indicated the high intellectual level of academic circles in Kerman Province.
I took down some notes based on those statements, and I hope they will be used in an appropriate manner, especially for planning purposes.
Today is the ninth day of my visit to your province, which is the longest visit I have so far made to different provinces. Many words and remarks have been said and heard during the past few days. However, students and academics form the elite class of our society, and hearing their words and statements is of great significance to me.
The Iranian people are pinning their hopes on you; they are looking to you for their country's progress and development. Therefore, you should hold a long-range macro outlook on different issues. There are a few points that I would like to mention in this regard.
The fact is that without this kind of view on the current issues of our country and its future and also the challenges that are facing our country and nation, we will not be able to delineate our future responsibilities and, perhaps, we will not be able to carry out our present tasks either.
The Islamic Republic, which is a popular and independent system based on authentic values, freedom of expression and social justice, is a divine gift bestowed on the Iranian nation. This gift has not been conferred on the Iranian nation gratis. Several generations made serious efforts, and the generation before you made great sacrifices and suffered many hardships.
Almighty Allah has promised that He will remunerate striving and endeavors, and the divine reward will be given both in this world and in the hereafter.
"All do We aid, these as well as those, out of the bounty of your Lord, and the bounty of your Lord is not confined." (the Holy Qur'an, 17: 20)
Whoever endeavors will reap the results of his or her efforts. The Iranian people tried hard, and the Almighty bestowed on them the gift of the Islamic Republic, a popular system that is opposed to corruption, deviation and dependence.
Now, every effort should be made to protect and preserve this gift. This is a momentous task that should be performed by you, the young people and in particular the young university students. You are the future decision-makers, executives and managers of this country.
You are able to lead the country to the peak of honor, progress and prosperity, which is the main ideal of the Islamic system, or, God forbid, spoil this divine gift and blessing. Thus, you should look far into the future and find out what needs to be done and what are the challenges facing our nation.
I would like to briefly talk about certain issues which will help you determine your course of action toward the future and decide your priorities.
The first issue is the need to set a political ideal to guide and direct the young people's various activities and course of action. Without an ideal, it is not possible to live an orderly life, nor is it possible to give direction to one's activities. One should have an ideal in order to follow a defined and definite path in life. Now what is this ideal?
It is true that our young people are seeking to fulfill their material needs such as getting a job, having a house to live in and getting married. But these are not all their aspirations, as they are also trying to accomplish some great ideals and objectives such as administering social justice, eliminating corruption, poverty and retardation from society and bringing further honor, dignity and glory to our country and nation.
These ideals and objectives which have emerged from Islamic teachings and precepts contribute to what has been described by the Holy Qur'an as the pure and immaculate life.
"Whoever does pious deeds whether male or female and he is a believer, We will most certainly make him live a pure and immaculate life, and We will most certainly give them a reward much better than what they did." (the Holy Qur'an, 16: 97)
What is worthy of mention is that some youngsters have aspirations for progress and development but seek to achieve progress and development by merely imitating Western political, social and intellectual models.
The experience of the past two centuries of the West indicates that Western schools of thought and ideology have yielded products such as Fascism, manifested in the Nazi regime in Germany, Communism, the prevalent ideology in the former Eastern bloc, and Liberalism, spearheaded today by the United States.
Each of these Western schools of thought and ideology has prepared the ground for numerous crimes against humanity. All the crimes committed in the world over the past one and a half century have been the outcome of the West's abortive experience. An instance of such crimes was the occurrence of the two world wars, which inflicted millions of casualties on nations.
Another instance was U.S. invasion of Iraq some ninety years after the First World War. There were worldwide demonstrations against this military aggression. Even in Europe itself there were million-strong rallies to prevent U.S. and British aggression against Iraq, but they did not prove effective.
Fascism was another outcome of Western experience. It is possible that the claims made by the Jews about Nazi concentration camps were not true, but the crimes perpetrated by Hitler were not mere lies. Fascism was a product of Western schools of thought and ideology, as were Communism and forced labor camps in Siberia and so on.
Today you can see that Western Liberalism led by the United States has resulted in AbuGhuraib and Guantanamo prisons and many other similar prisons across the world. I recently read in a report that the United States has tens of other secret prisons like AbuGhuraib and Guantanamo throughout the world. Such reports have not been denied by U.S. officials.
Still, another harmful result of Western experience was the production of nuclear and chemical weapons, which have proved destructive to mankind.
Western models have turned out to be abortive paradigms for humanity, including for Western nations themselves. Today, in the United States and Europe the family's foundation has been greatly damaged, and there are alarming statistics about the spread of crime, corruption and other social maladies. This indicates the failure of Western paradigms to bring about prosperity for mankind.
In Western paradigms there is no social justice or even real democracy. Today, you can see that in developed Western countries there is no opposition in its real sense. The political parties that are called the opposition differ with the ruling parties only on minor issues, and they all believe in the same basic principles.
Those political figures that are really opposed to these basic principles are not allowed to enter the scene of elections or receive publicity. In the last presidential election in the United States, a political figure that did not belong to the two mainstream political parties in that country intended to run for the presidency, but he was eliminated from the scene through intricate means even before the preliminary stages.
In the West, the media are said to be free. But who do they belong to? They belong to major capitalists. In the United States, freedom of the press means the freedom enjoyed by capitalists to express their views. These capitalists are the ones who own and control most of the publications and printing houses.
An Iranian official who has written a book in English about the takeover of U.S. espionage den in Tehran told me that he had tried to have his book published in the United States, but no American publisher showed willingness to publish his book, since American publishing industry is controlled by major capitalists.
He added that, as a result, he was forced to contact Canadian publishers to have his book published in Canada. He said he finally managed to find a Canadian publisher who was willing to publish his book. But the publisher later told him that he has been receiving threat calls ever since he agreed to publish his book, and that even his life had been threatened.
This is what Western countries mean by freedom of expression and freedom of the press!
When the Westerners during the renaissance period in Europe separated religion from science and politics, they intended to build a paradise on earth similar to the one promised to mankind by religions. That paradise has now turned into an inferno. This is something even admitted by the Westerners themselves.
It is true that the religion that European intellectuals in the renaissance period opposed was not a true religion but a body of superstitions. It was totally against scientific advances and discoveries. This is why Galileo was sentenced to death for his scientific views, and other scientists were also tortured and even died of torture for their scientific discoveries.
It was a distorted version of Christianity, not real Christianity. Therefore, there was nothing wrong with parting with this kind of religion in that period. However, the separation of spirituality and morality from science, politics, individual life and social relations was not a proper thing to do.
The Westerners replaced religion by science and rationality and said that there was no need for religion any longer. This was the condition prevailing in the 19th and 20th century. But for the past forty or fifty years, they have even been casting aspersions on rationality, rejecting all rational principles and advocating relativism and skepticism with regard to all principles, including moral, rational and even scientific principles.
This is not a proper paradigm to be imitated and followed by other nations. Imitating and following a failed model is a big mistake, as it will lead nowhere and promise no bright prospects.
We are willing and eager to obtain knowledge from whoever has it. We have been told by Islam to "obtain knowledge even if it is in China". China at the time of the advent of Islam was the heir to an ancient and developed civilization. Although it was very far from Islamic lands, and despite the fact that the people of China knew nothing about Islam, Muslims were advised to seek and obtain knowledge even if it was in China.
Once I said at another student gathering that we do not feel shame at obtaining knowledge from the Westerners and Europeans. But we should feel shame at remaining a pupil forever. We should try to fulfill our potential, foster our creativity and initiative and utilize our talents and capabilities.
Fortunately, this is what our young people are presently doing. Today, our young scientists are making remarkable progress in many different scientific and technological areas, including in the field of nuclear technology and in the area of stem cells.
Yesterday, I visited the copper plant in the city of Sarcheshmeh. Before the revolution, for some years the British and later the Americans tried o launch the plant, but the plant was not established then. After the victory of the revolution, our engineers launched the plant, brought it to a productive stage and took some valuable measures in the area of copper production.
The foreigners who exploited our natural resources in the past not only trampled on our national interests, but they also humiliated the Iranian nation on the grounds that our nation was in need of foreign skill and expertise. This is what the foreigners did with regard to the exploitation of our oil and different mines and also with regard to the construction of dams and silos in this country.
During my yesterday's tour of the Sarcheshmeh Copper Plant, I also visited an exhibition where the results of research conducted at the plant had been put on display. I asked the relevant officials who had contributed to their scientific activities and research. They said several universities had sent them dissertations prepared by students of master's or doctoral programs, and that those dissertations had formed the basis of their scientific research.
Our youngsters are making considerable progress and shining in different scientific and technological areas. Our industries, mines and agriculture can rely on our talented youngsters. Besides, we have abundant natural resources in our country. Kerman Province itself is unique in the whole country in terms of its mineral resources. It is even unparalleled in the Middle East with regard to some of its minerals.
Why should we follow the path of others? Why should we ignore and underestimate our own capabilities? We are able to make progress and we have done so. For instance, as far as our academic community is concerned, there were around 3,000 students in Kerman Province before the revolution. Today, there are 70,000 students in this province.
It may be said that our country's population has doubled over the past three decades. Even so, we can see that the number of students in this province has grown by over 20 times. This is a clear example of progress and development accomplished in our country in the post-revolution era.
Before the revolution, it was the foreigners who constructed roads and dams in this country. Those eight or nine dams built in this country under the former regime were all constructed by foreigners. Four European countries and Canada cooperated in building the Dez Dam in this country. But now our young engineers have constructed the Karoun-3 Dam, which holds as much water as the Dez Dam but generates electricity four times as much as the Dez Dam.
The Karoun-3 Dam has been designed and constructed by the Iranian engineers. But before the revolution, the United States and European countries tried to hinder our nation's progress in order to keep our country dependent. The former regime also carried out the policies that were dictated by these powers.
The United States and Europe are claiming to support liberty and democracy, but they did not raise any objections to the dictatorial Pahlavi regime for suppressing the freedom of expression in this country and violating the Iranian people's rights.
I remember, back in 1971 in the city of Mashhad, I was expounding some verses of Chapter Baqara of the Holy Qur'an to a group of students. Those verses addressed 'the Children of Israel'. I was summoned by the former regime's secret police Savak. They asked me why I was talking about 'the Children of Israel'. I said that I was just explaining some verses of the Holy Qur'an. They told me that I was insulting Israel! They stopped the exegesis session only because I was explaining some verses that included the word 'Israel'!
This was the condition of the freedom of expression in Iran under the former regime. But neither the United States nor France or any other European country made any objections to the dictatorial Pahlavi regime for suppressing the freedom of speech in this country.
There were elections for parliamentary seats in Iran under the former regime, but those who were elected were not those who the Iranian people had voted for. They were the ones who had been approved of and hand-picked by the imperial regime. Therefore, elections in those days were in fact a parody of real elections.
Even today, there are no general elections in some countries in our region, but they evoke no objections from Western countries. But these same Western countries are claiming that there is no democracy in the Islamic Republic, despite the fact that some 25 general elections have been held in our country over the past 26 years.
Thus, the first point is that Western paradigm, which is a flawed and defective model, is not worth following, and that Iranian youngsters should try to achieve progress and development based on an effective indigenous model originating from Islamic teachings, a model which seeks to administer social justice, counter corruption and put an end to enjoying undeserved economic privileges by a few.
The Islamic Republic has already launched a campaign to achieve the above objectives and made considerable progress in this area. Naturally there are certain shortcomings in any field of activity. It is clear that incessant efforts and perseverance are needed to accomplish all the above objectives and establish an ideal society.
We are facing challenges in the international arena, as we have enemies who do not want our nation to make progress and establish an ideal society under the banner of Islam and spirituality. The reason is that the establishment of a society characterized by such features will run counter to the interests of the arrogant powers.
I have often told our officials that we are engaged in a struggle and confrontation. Once we were engaged in a struggle and confrontation with the former dictatorial regime. Today, we are confronting the world's arrogant and oppressive powers. Naturally, there are certain problems involved in any confrontation. We should try to endure these problems. Personally, I am prepared to endure any kind of problem in any position of responsibility that I am. The Iranian people have also shown that they are ready to do the same thing.
As one of the dear participants in this gathering just pointed out, our nation has passed different trials with honor and dignity. There is hardship involved in any struggle. A struggle includes both advances and retreats, but everything should be calculated and premeditated.
Withdrawal is among the war tactics. It is different from escaping from the battlefield, which is not calculated and premeditated. Both the retreat and the advance should be tactical and calculated, as an unplanned advance may also result in failure and defeat. Thus, any measure should be carefully planned.
Once I stressed the need for a campaign to seek and administer justice in society. It received considerable attention, and our youngsters became interested in this issue. However, this does not mean that we have not been seeking justice over the past years since the victory of our revolution. On the contrary, our revolution was based on justice. But raising this issue infused our youth with new spirit and encouraged them to pursue the matter in a more serious and energetic manner.
Among other ideals of our youngsters are the promotion of broad-mindedness and also scientific progress and opening new frontiers in science and technology. In order to attain these ideals, our youngsters need to obtain further knowledge and experience and also engage in methodical and systematic political activities. Knowledge does no consist in mere learning. It is also related to sagacity and thoughtfulness.
My dear youngsters! You should think deeply about different issues in order to reach a clear conclusion. The campaign to promote broad-mindedness that I suggested be launched in our universities and theological schools is meant to achieve this same objective.
There should be forums for discussions and exchange of views, but these discussions should be free from bias, prejudice and bigotry and also free from the influence of certain political groups and parties that only seek to achieve their own short-range objectives and further their own trivial interests. These political entities try to manipulate young people on the eve of elections and other similar events in our country.
In short, such discussions and exchange of views should be aimed at preparing our young people to deal with momentous tasks and responsibilities that they are expected to undertake in the future.
At religious ceremonies, try to pay more attention to the spirit of religious acts and rites. The spirit of religious rituals and prayers can be defined as familiarity and relationship with Almighty Allah, purification of the soul, benefiting from spirituality and cleaning the mind of temptations and enticements. Also try to say your daily prayers with complete attention and on time.
There are two more points that I would like to mention. The first point relates to our country's current political situation, which will also affect the future of our country. Presently, there are a number of political groups and factions in our society, and they give rise to various views and differences of opinion, but the enemy is also trying to exploit and fan these differences and foment discord and division in our society.
It is true that certain political groups or individuals are playing some part in creating political disputes and wrangling in order to further their own interests, but the enemy is pursuing some more significant objectives by fomenting political schism and discord in our country. This is an important point that should be carefully heeded.
The main goal pursued by the enemy through intensifying the differences between our political factions is to create a rift and duality in the Islamic system at its highest level. In other words, what the enemy is seeking to achieve is to bring the two political factions into a confrontation with each other at the top of the Islamic system and at the highest decision-making level.
The enemy has been working hard on this project. There were certain individuals in our country that also moved in this direction and made every effort to realize this goal. They exerted immense pressure on President Khatami to compel him into this confrontation, but he did not submit to their pressure because of his wisdom and religious commitment.
They aimed to foment discord and squabble between the Leader and the President and other officials, so that the decisions made by one may be constantly disregarded and contravened by the other. They explicitly talked about the duality in the government and also tried to create this duality in some parts of the system.
As far as the anti-corruption campaign is concerned, I emphasized the need to launch this campaign several years ago and wrote an eight-point letter to the Islamic Consultative Assembly (the Majlis) concerning this issue. However, some of the representatives in the 6th Majlis, which was expected to be the main center for countering corruption, opposed the campaign, claiming that countering corruption would cause capital to flee the country.
They made such claims despite the fact that it is economic corruption that would discourage investment. As I explained at the time, countering corruption would encourage those who are interested in making sound investments and who have no intention to get involved in misuse or corruption.
Recently, I read a report published by an accredited international organization on a similar issue. In its report, the organization had announced that one of the major obstacles to investment in some countries is economic corruption. But those representatives in the 6th Majlis claimed that countering corruption would pose an obstacle to investment!
Therefore, you can see that when the issue of an anti-corruption campaign was raised in our country, some individuals opposed the idea instead of welcoming and supporting the move and playing their due part in the campaign. This was another indication of the efforts that were made to create a duality in our government.
At present, they are accusing the Islamic system of trying to homogenize the government. If what is meant by this homogeneity is that the Islamic system is going to entrust the government and all the country's affairs to one political faction only, it is not the case because we believe it is a wrong measure to take.
The presence in the government of the two political factions, provided that both are loyal to the constitution, will make it possible for the Islamic system to achieve greater progress. The reason is that the two factions will supervise each other's performance and compete with one another in serving the public. As a result, more transparency and greater progress will be achieved.
I stated at a Friday prayer ceremony a few years ago that the two political factions are like two wings for our country, enabling it to soar and rise to a higher level of progress and success. Thus, the presence of both political factions in the government should be invited and welcomed.
But if what they mean by the homogenization of our government is that we would not allow a rift and division to appear in the foundations of our Islamic system, and that we would try to keep our government and Islamic system integrated, this is what our intention is. Like all other countries in the world, we would not allow those who do not believe in the constitution and in the foundations of the Islamic system to take up top positions in our government.
Where in the world are those opposed to the foundations of their systems allowed to hold top positions in their governments? Is anyone who is opposed to American values and principles allowed to do so in the United States? Are maverick politicians in the entire democratic world allowed to fill top government positions?
In the same manner, we would not allow those who reject our constitution and who are opposed to the principles underlying our Islamic system to hold top positions in our government either.
As regards the views suggesting a conflict between fundamentalism and reformism, I do not think there is any clash or conflict between the two, and I believe such views are misguided and erroneous.
The fact of the matter is that reformism does not clash with fundamentalism, but what is in opposition to fundamentalism is the lack of adherence to any principles. An individual who does not believe in any values or principles and who always adopts a course of action that suits his material interests is the one who opposes fundamentalism. Also, it is sedition not fundamentalism that runs counter to reformism.
What I believe in is reformist fundamentalism. This is means adhering to sound and well-founded principles that have emanated from Islamic teachings and precepts and adopting new methods and approaches that fit modern times and circumstances.
While adhering to and preserving our basic principles, we should try to constantly rectify and improve our methods. The reason is that there are flaws and shortcomings in methods. Also, we may reach a certain stage where current methods will not be capable of fulfilling our needs and requirements. Then we should try to adopt more efficient approaches.
This is what real reformism means. However, from the viewpoint of U.S. officials, reformism means opposition to Islam and the Islamic system. They recommend certain reforms within the framework of their own values, the reforms that were conducted by the despotic Pahlavi rulers in this country.
The reforms which are recommended by U.S. officials and which I call 'American reforms' are intended to serve the interests of the United States. But the Iranian people are determined to carry out reforms based on their own values and principles.
I would also like to say a few words about the upcoming presidential election in this country. I believe the Iranian people should regard participation in the forthcoming election both as a right and a duty. But as far as the enemies are concerned, they do not want elections to be held in our country, so that they may claim that there is no democracy in Iran. The holding of elections in this country would prevent them from making such claims.
On the eve of the parliamentary elections to the 7th Majlis, the enemies made every effort and left no stone unturned and even manipulated some ignorant individuals in this country to discourage the Iranian people from going to the polls. But by the favor of Allah, all their schemes and machinations proved futile.
"Surely they will make a scheme; And I (too) will make a scheme." (the holy Qur'an, 86: 15-16)
The plots of our enemies were foiled by the Almighty, and the Iranian people showed a massive turnout at the polls.
With regard to the upcoming presidential election in our country, the enemies will first of all try to prevent the election from being held. But if they do not succeed in doing so, they will claim that the election has been rigged, or that it has not been fair.
In any case, they will try to cast aspersions on the election and raise doubts about its validity. Even if we hold elections in our country every year or even every week, they will continue to repeat their baseless accusations. They are opposed to a high voter turnout at the polls.
If the winner of the presidential election is someone who is submissive and subservient to the enemies - of course we have no presidential candidate who is submissive to our enemies - then they will raise no objections to the election and will even be happy with its result. But if a candidate is elected who is loyal to Islam, the revolution and our national interests and who is determined to resist the bullying of the arrogant powers, then they will claim that there is no democracy in Iran.
If the elected president is a religious person, they will make even more such claims, since in their view democracy should be of a secular nature and religion should be separated from the state. Thus, in their view, religious democracy is not democracy at all.
I believe the Iranian nation is able to choose and is also able to make a good choice. I hope, by the favor and assistance of the Almighty, the June-17 presidential election will be recorded as among the best elections held in the Islamic Republic, and I also hope the Iranian people will vote based on insight and awareness for a presidential candidate who is the most suitable for our country and nation and who acts in such a way as to evoke divine grace and favor.
In the meantime, I do not agree with those claiming that the Iranian people are still halfway to democracy. But it is clear that by making such false claims, they are trying to please certain Western countries. Such erroneous remarks constitute an insult to a nation that in less than one hundred years has launched three all-out movements against dictatorial regimes in this country and also against foreign domination and colonial powers. This nation is quite mature politically, and such claims are absolutely false and only intended to please certain Western countries.
I am very happy and grateful to the Almighty that we had this meeting today. I pray to Almighty Allah to bestow His mercy and favor on our dear youngsters and enlighten their pure hearts with His love and knowledge. I also pray to the Almighty to grant our young people success in building a free, prosperous, advanced and developed nation that will reflect honor and dignity on Islam.
I hope that His Holiness Imam of the Age - may our souls be sacrificed for his sake - will be pleased and contented with us, and that whatever we do or say will be in the way of and for the sake of Allah.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings